Yellowjackets? Here's some trap ideas

If you’ve waded along shorelines, fished around lily pads, or even tried to eat outdoors, you’ve been harassed by yellowjackets.

No doubt the best way to control these pesky wasps is to find their hives and spray when they return in cooler, early evenings.

In our case, a hive the size of a volleyball under an overturned canoe was a main source. At home, smaller combs in eaves were producing yellowjackets.

Killing individual insects is no substitute for wiping out a whole yellowjacket colony, but, at least, it makes us feel better!

Here’s three yellowjacket traps that work…

- Commercial bright yellow plastic trap. We all know they work, but they’re a pain to empty and some are still alive the next morning. Putting the trap in a freezer cools does cool their heels! The “attractant” provided with the unit works pretty well, but small piece of kokanee salmon or sliced hot dog works better.

- Hang a salmon skeleton in a bucket of water. Tie the tail to a loop of string, then other end of the string to a stick the rests across the top of the bucket. Put a few inches of water in the bucket and when the yellowjackets eat so much fish they can’t fly, they fall into the water. Negative on this trap is it must be kept away from pets and small children.

- Disposable plastic bottle. Pour a couple tablespoons of vinegar and sugar into an inch of water at the bottom of a disposable water or soft drink bottle. Tie a string around the neck of the bottle and hang it in yellowjacket territory.

Good luck!

Jerry Smalley’s Fishful Thinking column appears weekly in the Hungry Horse News.